Twinkle

Lynn Annette Ripley, known professionally as Twinkle, is an English singer-songwriter born on July 15, 1948, in Surbiton, Surrey. She began her music career at 16 when her boyfriend Dec Cluskey introduced her to his manager with a demo recording. Her first single "Terry", released in 1964, reached number 4 on the UK charts but faced controversy and a BBC ban due to its theme. The follow-up single "Golden Lights" also charted at number 21. Twinkle's early career included notable songs like "A Lonely Singing Doll", an English-language version of France Gall’s Eurovision Song Contest winner, and "Johnny". Despite her initial success, she retired from the music industry in 1966 after recording six singles for Decca Records. In 1969, Twinkle released a self-written single "Micky" under the Instant label, which went unpublicized. She continued to record songs inspired by her relationship with Michael Hannah, an actor/model who died in an air crash in 1974. These recordings were later included on CD compilations. In the 1980s, Twinkle's "Golden Lights" was covered by The Smiths and appeared on their compilation albums The World Won't Listen and Louder Than Bombs. Twinkle died on May 21, 2015, at the age of 66 after a five-year battle with cancer. Her work has been recognized posthumously, including the release of compilations such as Michael Hannah: The Lost Years in 2003 and Girl in a Million: The Complete Recordings in 2019.